Sam Wildman

The owners of Barton Seagrave’s Post Office have been presented with an award after they distracted burglars who had smashed their way into a neighbour’s house.

Jo and Toby Clegg were commended after calling the police when three men broke into their neighbour Trevor Pywell’s home close to the village green last month.

A CCTV still of the burglary at Mr Pywell's home.

Mr Pywell, the co-ordinator of the Barton Seagrave Old Village Neighbourhood Watch, praised the couple and says they “prevented him from losing everything”.

He said: “I was out and received a call to say my alarms were going off and the lights were on and I knew something wasn’t right.

“Three men had broken in by smashing the patio window with a sledge and ransacked the house, stealing my partner’s daughter’s jewellery box which was very sentimental.

“They were armed with either a screwdriver or crowbar and had scarves around their faces.

“I think when they were distracted they thought they better get out quickly.

“The fact that Jo and Toby scared them off is fantastic, we could have lost everything.

“Had they not distracted them they could have done untold amounts of damage but it’s great that we’ve got people in our Neighbourhood Watch community, they’re great neighbours.”

The robbery was one of spate of thefts in the area with the Post Office itself being hit twice.

Jo and Toby were presented with the award on Saturday (February 13) by the High Sheriff of Northamptonshire Dr Ahmed Mukhtar, to coincide with the 10-year anniversary of the Neighbourhood Watch group which now has more than 40 members.